FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — A 9-year-old boy is in critical condition after he and a friend fell through thin ice into a pond in Fort Wayne, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.

It happened on Mayrock Drive, just off State Road 14 and I-69, at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Conservation officers say the 9- and 8-year-old boys were playing near a neighborhood pond when the older child fell through the ice.

Crews say the 8-year old tried to help his friend, went through the ice, and was able to get out safely. He then went to get help from the older boy’s father.

Investigators say the father was not able to find his son in the chest deep water. Fort Wayne Fire Department divers eventually pulled the boy from the water at around 1 p.m.

The 9-year-old boy was then transported to the hospital in critical condition. 

Indiana DNR did not say if the 8-year-old boy was injured.